


The New Adventures of Buchimaru-Kun

by vivvav



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Gen, Makoto Niijima Week, The AFR Universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-21
Updated: 2017-09-21
Packaged: 2019-01-03 18:18:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12152163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vivvav/pseuds/vivvav
Summary: When Makoto's childhood icon gets a reboot, she gets more excited by the prospect than any of her friends were prepared for.Written for Makoto Niijima Week. Day 6's prompt is "Pastimes/Interests".





	The New Adventures of Buchimaru-Kun

**Author's Note:**

> Is Makoto Niijima Week nearing the end already!? Oh goodness!  
> https://makotoniijimaweek.tumblr.com

**Art by[Hureno](http://hurenoshmureno.tumblr.com)**

* * *

 

 

Makoto was in her second semester of college, and lately she’d been somewhat aloof. During her first semester she’d done well maintaining a decent work-life balance, dedicating herself to her studies while still making time for her friends and boyfriend. But after a few months, she started to really buckle down, and the other former Phantom Thieves were concerned. So when Makoto came to Futaba asking her for help shopping for a new laptop (her old trusty hand-me-down from Sae had finally broken down to the point where the cost of repairs and upgrades would cost the price of a new computer anyway), Ren asked the new high school first year to try and get Makoto to have a little fun. It was a bit of a tall order. After all, Futaba wasn’t exactly the most sociable person, and being assigned to get somebody else to come out of their shell felt like a Herculean task.

Turned out, it was more of a Sisyphean task.

“As long as we’re in Akibahara, you wanna hit the arcade?”

“No thank you.”

“C’mon! It’s a beautiful sunny day! Perfect for staying indoors and blasting polygonal baddies!”

“I’d really just like to purchase the laptop, Futaba.”

“I’m just saying, it’s not like we have anything else to do today. Wanna get lunch?”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Then I’ll get something to eat and you just get a coffee or something! OOH! We can go to the maid cafe!”

“I really don’t have any interest in anything like that. Besides, I understand those establishments are very expensive.”

Futaba groaned. Forget the boulder breaking halfway up the hill, she felt like it was rolling back down and crushing her. Maybe asking Makoto wasn’t the way to do it. Maybe Futaba just needed to force Makoto into a situation where fun was happening.

“HEY LOOK AT THAT!” Futaba dashed over to a gachapon machine on the other side of the street.

“Futaba, please!” Makoto followed the shorter girl, making no attempt to hide her annoyance. “We’re here for academic reasons!”

“We can do that in a sec! I just wanna complete my collection! I’m only a couple figures away from having the whole set of… uh…” Futaba picked a machine at random. “Buchimaru toys!”

“‘Buchimaru’!?” Makoto grabbed Futaba and pushed her to the side, taking a look at the machine. Indeed, the display revealed little figurines of the beloved panda-dog from her childhood. Most of the figures were of Buchi-Kun in various poses and outfits. There was Sleepy Time Buchi-Kun wrapped in a blanket and in a nightcap, Lifeguard Buchi-Kun with sunglasses, swim trunks, and a whistle, Tourist Buchi-Kun with a camera and American flag shirt, and-

“‘POLICE OFFICER BUCHI-KUN’!?” Makoto pulled out her wallet and began frantically searching for 100-yen coins. Futaba watched in shock as her most serious and mature friend fervently inserted a coin into the machine’s slot, missing multiple times due to how much her hands were shaking from excitement. Ren had told Futaba that Makoto had a soft spot for cute things, but frankly, she hadn’t believed him. Futaba was pretty sure sometimes Ren liked to feed her misinformation about their friends to make sure she wasn’t still spying on him.

“Ooh! Look at this!” Makoto opened the capsule that came out to reveal a Buchi-Kun figurine in a party hat holding a present in one hand and a birthday cake in the other. “It’s ‘Happy Birthday Buchi-Kun’!” Makoto started to giggle. “I wonder, do you think it’s HIS birthday, or mine?”

“Well,” Futaba said, “your birthday’s in April, so it’s probably not y-“

“Don’t be pedantic!” Makoto inserted another coin into the machine. “You know full well what I mean!” Another capsule came out. Makoto opened it to reveal Buchimaru in a pith helmet and safari outfit, holding a foraging stick. “‘Jungle Explorer Buchi-Kun’! He’s so adventurous!”

“He sure looks like it, yup.” Futaba was having trouble believing her eyes. This cooing, girlish, giggling fangirl was NOT the Makoto Niijima she knew and loved. She’d find it really funny if it weren’t so bizarre.

“I’m feeling good about this one.” Makoto purchased another capsule, opening it slowly. “Come on, Officer Buchi-Kun… Officer Buchi-Kun… Officer Buchi-Kuuuuunnnn…” Inside the capsule was the tiny policeman of Makoto’s desires. “YES!” Makoto held Officer Buchi-Kun in Futaba’s face and started speaking in a high-pitched voice. “‘Stop right there, criminal! You’re under arrest for being a meanie!’”

“I’m pretty sure that’s not a punishable offense.”

“You know, when I was a little girl, I had a big stuffed Buchimaru-Kun doll, and I’d play with it pretending that we were police officers together.” Makoto put the first two figurines in her purse, looking down on the policeman toy with unchecked glee. “To think, they’d make a toy matching my childhood fantasy. I just can’t believe it!”

“I can believe it” Futaba said. “That’s pretty much exactly what I’d imagine little Makoto’s playtime to be.”

“No, not that!” Makoto grinned at the gachapon machine. “They stopped making Buchi-Kun merchandise years ago! I can’t believe they made new toys for him!”

“Well, yeah.” Futaba eyeballed the figure still in Makoto’s hand. “It’s because of that new cartoon that’s coming out.”

“What cartoon?” Makoto gave Futaba the same intense look she had whenever she was studying, ready to absorb any and all information presented to her.

“Well, you know, everything’s getting reboots these days.” Futaba felt like she was about to set off a dangerous chain of events, yet couldn’t stop herself from speaking. “Buchimaru’s a nostalgia property. A lot of people who grew up with it are starting to have kids. The company that owns it figures it’ll be profitable again, so there’s new toys, clothes, and a new TV show to kick up Buchimania.”

“WE HAVE TO BUY THAT LAPTOP RIGHT NOW!” Makoto grabbed Futaba’s hand and dragged her across the street to an electronics store.

“What?!” Futaba’s booted feet scurried, barely managing to keep her standing upright as Makoto pulled her faster than she was prepared to move. “What does that have to do with what we were just talking about!?”

“I NEED TO DO RESEARCH!”

* * *

“Look at this!”

 Ren stared at the figure in his girlfriend’s hand bewilderedly. He had been working an uneventful shift in LeBlanc when Makoto suddenly burst in just as excited as the day she got her motorcycle license.

“Cute panda” Ren said.

“It’s not just any panda!” Makoto was pressed so hard against the counter Ren was sure she was either going to leap over it or push it down into the ground. “It’s Buchimaru-Kun!”

“‘Buchimaru-Kun’?” Ren scratched his chin. “Oh! Like that calculator you gave me?”

“That’s right!”

“Ha, he’s a little policeman. I bet you just had to have it when you saw it.” Ren chuckled, trying to imagine the look on Makoto’s face when she found the toy. “Did you come across it in a secondhand shop or something?”

“No, it’s brand new!” Makoto pulled out her phone and showed Ren an article about the new Buchimaru cartoon. “Buchi-Kun is getting a new TV show! Eiko and I were up all night talking about it!”

“Oh, you and Eiko still talk?” Ren started pouring a cup of coffee. “What’s she up to these days?”

“She’s at a fashion school in Osaka” Makoto said in her usual calm manner. “She’s doing well. But don’t change the subject!” And like that, Makoto got wound up again. “The premiere is this Sunday! We need to watch it together!”

“We do?” Ren took a sip of the coffee. It HAD been for Makoto, but she clearly didn’t need more stimulation at the moment.

“Of course! This is going to be the television event of the century! I’d feel sorry for anybody who missed it! In fact…” Makoto pulled out her phone and started typing away. Ren felt a buzz in his pocket and checked the usual chatroom.

 

> **Makoto:** Hello, everyone. I know this is short notice, but I was thinking of holding a party this Sunday.
> 
> **Makoto:** Are you all available?
> 
> **Ann:** Yeah, it’s been a while since we’ve all hung out!
> 
> **Ryuji:** Sounds rad.
> 
> **Haru:** A party sounds delightful, Mako-Chan! What’s the occasion?
> 
> **Futaba:** Wait, this Sunday? ( □ _ □ )
> 
> **Futaba:** Is this what I think it is? ( ￣ _ ￣ ) ・・・
> 
> **Makoto:** It’s a viewing party for the series premiere of the television show “The New Adventures of Buchimaru-Kun”!
> 
> **Futaba:** I KNEW IT! ( ☆ _@)
> 
> **Yusuke:** I am certainly available, but I have never heard of this program. What is it?
> 
> **Ann:** Buchimaru? Isn’t that some old mascot character?
> 
> **Haru:** Indeed! I believe I have seen some pictures of myself in Buchimaru pajamas as an infant.
> 
> **Makoto:** That sounds adorable! May I see them?
> 
> **Haru:** I do not have them on my person, but I could bring the album to the party on Sunday.
> 
> **Ren:** About this party…
> 
> **Makoto:** What?
> 
> **Ren:** Aren’t we all a bit old for this?
> 
> **Ryuji:** Yeah, ain’t this for little kids?
> 
> **Makoto:** What are you talking about!? Buchi-Kun is meant to be enjoyed by people of all ages!
> 
> **Futaba:** I’m down to hang out and watch cartoons with you guys.  ٩ ( ◕ ‿ ◕｡ ) ۶
> 
> **Ann:** It looks cute! I’ll watch it!
> 
> **Haru:** I think it would be fun to reconnect with our inner children!
> 
> **Yusuke:** I do not typically study this sort of art. I would be interested in observing it.
> 
> **Ryuji:** Even you, Yusuke!?
> 
> ****Ren** : **Alright, I’m in too.
> 
> **Ryuji:** F’real!?
> 
> **Ryuji:** If everyone else really wants to, I guess I’ll watch too.
> 
> **Makoto:** Wonderful! I’ll let Sis know that we’ll be using the apartment!
> 
> **Ann:** Is she really gonna be ok with you just throwing a party like this?
> 
> **Makoto:** If it’s just us, I’m sure she won’t mind.
> 
> **Makoto:** Who knows, she may even watch it with us!

* * *

Sae greeted Ren, Morgana, and Futaba as they arrived at the Niijima apartment. Although she was no longer a prosecutor, the way she was looking at the youths made them feel like they were about to be thrown in jail.

“Hello, you two” she said coldly.

“Hello, Sae-San.” Ren grinned nervously, looking into the apartment. “Where’s Makoto?”

“She’s in the restroom.” Sae persisted in giving the teens before her the stink eye. Futaba instinctively hid behind Ren, holding Morgana to her chest.

“I see…” Ren tried to step through the door, but Sae was blocking the way. “Are you having a nice evening?”

“I will once I’m out of here.” Sae facepalmed. “I thought we were past all of this twelve years ago.”

“Past what, exactly?”

“All this Buchimaru nonsense.” The words came out of Sae’s mouth like she was spitting out poison. “When Makoto was little she was obsessed with it. Everything was ‘Buchi-Kun’ this and ‘Buchi-Kun’ that. I never understood the appeal.”

“Yeah, she’s been pretty stoked about it.” Ren could relate to what Sae was going through. Makoto had been a little difficult to talk to for the past few days. It was like having a second Futaba in his life. “I imagine it must be somewhat frustrating to deal with after all these years.”

“Yes, it is.” Sae looked around Ren to glare directly at Futaba. “And whoever is responsible for reawakening this in her is going to pay for it **very dearly.** ”

Sae strode out of the apartment, practically plowing through the trio in front of her. Morgana looked up at Futaba.

“You really messed up, Futaba.”

“It’s Ren's fault!” Futaba stepped into the apartment first. “He’s the one who told me to get Makoto to loosen up! I didn’t think all of this would happen!”

“What’s Ren's fault?”

Ryuji poked his head out from the living room area. He, Ann, Yusuke, and Haru were all seated on the L couch.

“Nothing,” Ren said as he closed the door behind him, “Makoto would’ve found out about the new Buchimaru show on her own eventually. It’s better for her to get over the initial high sooner than later. It’d be really bad if she were this obsessed near the end of the semester.”

“Yes, that’s true” Haru said. “Finals require quite a bit of focus.”

“Is anybody using that recliner?” Futaba pointed to the large, empty chair.

“Makoto’s sister was using it until now” Yusuke said.

“So nobody’s claimed it yet?” Futaba dashed over to the recliner. “DIBS!”

“I want the big chair!” Morgana dashed after her, both of them climbing into it at once.

“Mona, get out! I called dibs!”

“You live in a house with a recliner every day! We don’t have one in the attic!”

“You can’t even recline!”

“Stop pulling on my face!”

“YEOWCH! Hey! No claws!”

“Both of you knock it off!” Ren yelled. “You’re the smallest ones here! We could clone you both and there’d be enough room in that chair for all four of you! Just share!”

“Ren?” Makoto’s voice asked from a distance. Ren could hear footsteps coming up behind him. “I thought that was you! Everyone’s finally here!”

“Yeah.” Ren turned to face his girlfriend. “Hey Makot-OH!”

Makoto was dressed in a Buchimaru tee shirt, white pants with black spots, a beanie with Buchimaru’s face on it, and the policeman figurine she got earlier that week held around her neck by a string. She was also holding a large, well-loved stuffed Buchimaru toy which looked to be almost as old as her.

“That’s… quite an outfit you have there.”

“I’ll say!” Futaba popped up from behind the back of the recliner and started taking pictures with her phone.

“Isn’t it great!?” Makoto gave a little twirl. “I purchased it all from the official website! I even paid for express shipping!”

“I’m very happy for you.” Ren leaned forward to give Makoto a peck on the cheek, but she pulled away at the behest of a sudden beeping.

“Ooh! The cookies are ready!” Makoto shoved the stuffed Buchimaru in Ren's arms and scurried over to the oven. “Hold Buchi-Kun for me!”

“I was wondering what that smell was!” Ann grinned at Makoto’s back, her mouth on the verge of salivating.

“Yeah, it’s all she’s been able to think about since we got here” Ryuji said. “Are you sure you can have ‘em though, Ann? We all know how _healthy_ your model diet is.”

“Hey, I’ve been good lately!”

“So what, you’ve only been eating five crepes a day?”

“Leave me alone!” Ann punched Ryuji on the arm.

“Now, now, no fighting tonight!” Makoto brought over a plate of hot cookies all shaped like Buchimaru. “Not in front of Buchi-Kun!”

“Ooh!” Ann rushed over to Makoto, Yusuke trailing behind her. She leaned over the plate and took a deep sniff. “Oh, they smell even better up close!”

“Cookies shaped like a character. How intriguing.” Yusuke picked up one of the cookies and held it close to his eye. “Is this an example of cooking as an art form?”

“Yusuke, be careful!” Makoto set the cookies down on the coffee table in front of the couch. “Those are fresh out of the oven! They’re extremely hot!”

“Oh, yes, they are.” Yusuke turned the cookie around. “My fingertips are burning as we speak. It’s rather painful.”

“THEN PUT THE COOKIE DOWN, YOU MORON!” Ryuji jumped to his feet. “YOU CAN LOOK AT IT AFTER IT’S COOLED DOWN!”

“Alright, alright, everybody calm down!” Makoto grabbed her Buchimaru plush from Ren and sat down on the couch. “The show’s about the start!”

Ren sat down next to Makoto as she turned on the TV, hooking his arm around her shoulder. Yusuke and Ann went to town on the cookies as Haru and Ryuji tried to get just one away from them. Futaba and Morgana fidgeted, trying to find a comfortable position that would let them both veg out on the recliner.

As the show started, Makoto sang along to the new version of the classic Buchimaru theme song. The episode was titled “Make Way For Officer Buchimaru”, and featured the precocious panda-dog as a meter maid printing out parking tickets. Buchimaru was giving a parked motorcycle a ticket when a big pink hippo in a biker jacket with a blonde pompadour hopped on the seat and took off. Buchimaru gave chase, trying to give the hippo his ticket, and things escalated into a series of wacky shenanigans that ended in the hippo and his gang of delinquent bank robbers getting caught in a massive wad of bubblegum and Buchimaru being made detective.

“So…” Ren turned to Makoto. “Was it everything you hoped it’d be?”

Makoto did not have a verbal answer. She stared at the TV screen with the widest smile any of them had ever seen on her face.

* * *

Makoto had tried to lead the group in a discussion about the show the way one would a film appreciation society, but none of them had any insights beyond “it was cute” or “it was funny”. Not wanting the night to be ruined for her, Futaba informed Makoto that there were online chatrooms where people liked to discuss cartoons, and directed Makoto to a Buchimaru fan server.

**QueenJohanna:** That episode was my childhood dream come true!

**KnightOfRisette187:** just having buchi-kun back is a dream come true!

**KnightOfRisette187:** i laughed, i cried

**KnightOfRisette187:** mostly cried

**TextileZaiten:** It was alright.

**Admin-Kun:** lol @TextileZaiten u throwing shade?

**TextileZaiten:** What? I didn’t hate it or nothin’.

**TextileZaiten:** I liked it. It was cute. Just didn’t think it was great.

**QueenJohanna:** Might I ask what you felt was lacking about it? I found “Make Way For Officer Buchimaru” very enjoyable.

**TextileZaiten:** Like…

**TextileZaiten:** Uh….

**TextileZaiten:** The episode was fine and all. And Buchi-Kun was cute. But I didn’t like how the bad guys were these stereotypical delinquents.

**KnightOfRisette187:** it’s a kids’ show. what’d you expect?

**TextileZaiten:** That’s a load of BS!

**QueenJohanna:** I must concur. Buchimaru-Kun is for everybody.

**TextileZaiten:** Yeah! And besides, kids are impersonable and shit.

**QueenJohanna:** You mean “impressionable”?

**TextileZaiten:** Yeah.

**TextileZaiten:** It’s not cool to make them scared of every guy with blonde hair and a leather jacket.

**Admin-Kun:** lol kids SHOULD stay away from delinquents tho

**TextileZaiten:** But not everybody like that’s a delinquent!

**QueenJohanna:** That’s true. I have a friend who dyes his hair blonde. He can be a bit crude, but he’s a very kind person with a strong sense of right and wrong.

**TextileZaiten:** Exactly! And the cops just profile dudes like that all the time!

**QueenJohanna:** I don’t know that I would call it “profiling”.

**TextileZaiten:** I would. I’m not trying to drag Officer Buchi or anything, but it’s true what they say about the cops being just another gang.

**QueenJohanna:** EXCUSE ME!?

**KnightOfRisette187:** whoa this got intense fast

**TextileZaiten:** The cops where I live are useless. There’s like one detective who’s actually good at his job, and then the rest are jackasses.

**QueenJohanna:** Not all police are like that.

**KnightOfRisette187:** admin you wanna do anything about this?

**Admin-Kun:**

**TextileZaiten:** Enough are. Narrow-minded jerks who get off on their own power and make life harder for normal folks just going about their day.

**QueenJohanna:** Well, perhaps you’ve had some negative experiences with certain police officers, but most of them aren’t like that.

**QueenJohanna:** And I should know, because I’m studying to be one.

**TextileZaiten:** Good for you. Tell you what: If you become a non-shitty cop, I’ll send you a Buchi-Kun doll.

**QueenJohanna:** I don’t need some stranger on the Internet to buy me presents in order to achieve my goals.

**TextileZaiten:** “Buy”? I don’t buy, lady. I make.

**QueenJohanna:** You make dolls?

**TextileZaiten:** Hell yeah I do. Better quality than any mass-produced thing you’ll get from a factory too.

**QueenJohanna:** …

**QueenJohanna:** I don’t suppose you take commissions?

**Author's Note:**

> Some fics are really hard to write.
> 
> This was not one of them.
> 
> Thanks to Hureno, who, in addition to the cover, gave me the idea to include a cameo from a certain chair-swinging tough guy from Persona 4.
> 
> Update: This fic has been changed to use Joker's canon name.


End file.
